In the history of early globalization, German territories are yet to receive significant scholarly attention. Early modern German states were not global or colonial powers, and there was no state-entrepreneurial institution like the VOC or BEIC. Nonetheless, German regions participated in international and global markets, as providers – for example ...
(Show more)In the history of early globalization, German territories are yet to receive significant scholarly attention. Early modern German states were not global or colonial powers, and there was no state-entrepreneurial institution like the VOC or BEIC. Nonetheless, German regions participated in international and global markets, as providers – for example of protoindustrial linen fabrics – and as consumers, as we can observe in Hamburg’s toll registers. Coffee and sugar, combined to a bitter-sweet, mildly psycho-tropic beverage, became important import commodities with considerable growth rates during 18th century. Other colonial goods like tobacco or spices show slower, but still remarkable growth rates, whereas tea or cacao obviously were of minor importance.
The paper will analyse the occurrence and significance of foreign and exotic commodities in Northwestern Germany, with specific focus on the countryside, in 18th and 19th centuries. We will use probate inventories and housekeeping books to study the emergence of foreign commodities and equipment related to consumption of these. Journals of merchants are a second type of source materials. They are informative sources for the increase of new goods and the scope of their penetration into not only urban, but also rural societies. The paper aims at presenting first results of a larger research project on early modern consumer society in Northwestern Germany.
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